Beach Week 2007

On Saturday, we returned home having spent a week along the NC coast on Emerald Isle with several friends whom we've met along our many relocations and rarely get to see. "An Island Oasis" was our oceanfront home away from home, complete with a pool! We were joined by four other families and five children - yes, a total of 6 children...5 boys, 1 girl...and all under the age of 5! (Josh 4 1/2, Davis nearly 3, Harper 2, Thompson 19 mos, Grant 17 mos and Ben 13 mos; We had one additional family join us the very first night who has a 9-month old son named Sellars.) We couldn't have asked for better weather. Among his many adventures, Thompson enjoyed playing in the sand with the dump truck, climbing in and out of the pool and dunking his own head in the water.  Among our many pictures, I captured Thompson saying"cheese"; T and Daddy in the pool; Sherry, Ben, Thompson, Josh, Davis and Morgan enjoying the sand and surf; and Jay and T sporting their Tennessee Volunteer orange (for those of you who don't know, as an alumnus of the University of South Carolina, Bobby is far from being a Tennessee fan...Go Cocks!)

I Passed!!!

For those of you aware I have been going to "school" at night since June 4, studying to become a NC real estate broker, I passed my class exam! YEAH!!! (And if you didn't know, please accept my sincerest apologies...now you do.) All this means is that I am now eligible to sit for the state exam in the coming weeks. I'll certainly keep you posted.

A new leaf...

...has turned over in the Jones family. Bobby resigned his 3-year position with The Cliff Communities yesterday afternoon, having accepted an executive sales position with Lonesome Valley in Cashiers. This is a wonderful and exciting new opportunity not only for Bobby but also for our family. We plan to remain in Asheville, yet spend a lot more time in Cashiers in an attempt to reduce the number of times Bobby must travel "up and down the mountain." (Not to mention, we're sure our parents won't mind seeing Thompson more often!) We look forward to sharing more about Lonesome Valley in the coming weeks and months, and we certainly hope you'll stop by if you are ever in the Cashiers area.

Over the past several weeks, the Lord has certainly refined our patience and trust in Him as He once again demostrated that He works in mysterious ways, always for good and always in His perfect timing.

"For I know the plans I have for you," delcares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

"He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor." - Proverbs 21:21

And finally, with this change, I thought it was only fitting to give our blog a new look. Enjoy!

Two snapshots from last week

Thompson watering the flowers (after playing with the garden hose of course!) and getting pushed on his new car by Aunt G!

T and G

Graham flew in from NY Friday to spend the first part of the 4th of July holiday with us. Last night, she accompanied Thompson to one of his Little Gym classes. One of his most favorite activities is crawling up the stairs to the balance beam and then walking on it. They've had a great time and T will certainly miss his beloved "Aunt G" when she leaves tomorrow afternoon. Among their many memorable moments, she taught him how to giggle-giggle-giggle and sign "Aunt G".

Our taste tester

Not only does Thompson love to help mommy in the kitchen, but he appears to have inherited the Harrelson taste-tasting genes! Here he is licking the beaters after we made a lemonade pie for the 4th.